Is Henna Safe- Philadelphia Henna Home

In the West and the Middle East, henna is used in hair shampoos, dyes, conditioners, and rinses. Henna dye products are mixed with indigo or other plant material to obtain a greater color range. Extracts of henna are also used to stain wood and to dye fabric and textiles. As a medicinal plant, henna has been used for astringent, antihemorrhagic, intestinal antineoplastic, cardio-inhibitory, hypotensive, and sedative effects. It has also been used as a folk remedy against amoebiasis, headache, jaundice, and leprosy. Henna extracts show antibacterial, antifungal, and ultraviolet light screening activity. The flowers possess a pleaseant aroma and crude perfumes are produced in some major growing areas by preparing a suspension of comminuted flowers in vegetable oil. Henna in the West is most commonly used to dye hair. But with the popularity of tattoos, henna and the art of Mehndi is considered a safe, painless and non-permanent alternative form of body ornamentation. Although henna is traditionally drawn only on hands and feet, feel free to create your designs on arms, legs, around the belly button, and even may be behind the neck. Source: The scientific Literature on selected herbs, Aromatic and Medicinal plants of the Temperate Zone. Archon Books, 770 pp., Hamden, CT. Herbs: An indexed bibliography. Simon, J.E., A.F. Chadwick and L.E. Craker. 1984